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Credit: Sarah McKay
Explanation:
Have you ever seen a halo around the Moon?
This fairly common sight occurs when high thin clouds containing millions of tiny
ice crystals cover much of the sky.
Each
ice crystal acts like a miniature lens.
Because
most of the crystals have a similar
elongated hexagonal shape,
light entering one crystal face and exiting
through the opposing face refracts 22
degrees,
which corresponds to the radius of the Moon Halo.
A similar Sun Halo
may be visible during the day.
The picture was taken in Lansdowne,
Pennsylvania,
USA.
The distant planet
Jupiter
appears by chance just to the left of the
Moon.
Exactly how
ice-crystals form in clouds remains under
investigation.
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NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: Moon - halo - ice crystals
Publications with words: Moon - halo - ice crystals
See also: